Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) referral 008-03180010

If the JCA referral is:

• for a Disability Support Pension (DSP) new claim, go to Step 2
• part of a formal review or an Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) review, see Reviews and appeals for DSP rejection or cancellation decisions. Procedure ends here
• for a customer claiming a foreign pension, see Foreign pension medical assessments. Procedure ends here
• for ‘no future work capacity’ portability assessments, see Assessment for Disability Support Pension (DSP) customers going overseas under the no future work capacity provisions. Note: this is a CIS only referral. Procedure ends here
• for a request for an explanation, check Document List (DL)/Notes for a DOC advising an explanation is pending. Referral for a JCA related to an explanation will be actioned by a Subject Matter Expert (SME)
• for Supported Wage System (SWS) assessment requests received from Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, see Supported Wage System (SWS) medical assessment process. Procedure ends here

Check Documents icon for the Disability Support Pension Medical Eligibility Assessment Recommendation (SA479) and/or a DOC with a subject line of 'MAT DSP recommendation'.

Confirm the recommendation supports a JCA referral is required. The Assessor must submit a recommendation (MAT report/SA479) to be available in Documents. See Streaming a new claim for Disability Support Pension (DSP).

Has a MAT report/SA479 been completed recommending a JCA referral?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, see Streaming a new claim for Disability Support Pension (DSP)

Before requesting a JCA Referral for a DSP new claim:

• Check if the customer is clearly ineligible on non-medical criteria. A full assessment of non-medical eligibility is not required prior to JCA referral, but if it is clear the customer is ineligible for DSP, for example, customer is over Age Pension age, Income & Assets are over threshold or customer has a Compensation Preclusion Period which does not end within 13 weeks, do not refer for a JCA. Note: the MAT Recommendation DOC may indicate ‘Assess non-medical eligibility before referring for a JCA’, this note can be disregarded. For more information see Rejecting a new claim for DSP
• If the customer is in receipt of JSP or YAL-JSK, apply the Claiming DSP exemption on Activity & Exemption (AEX) screen, see Jobseeker Payment (JSP) and Youth Allowance (YA) (Provisional)
• Check the DSP claim start date (PNA) is correct and does not require updating due to backdating or early claim provisions. See Streaming a new claim for DSP for more information
• Check the customer’s residence status. See Residence assessment for customers claiming DSP:
• If the customer is a non-protected Special Category Visa (SCV) holder, the customer does not satisfy the residence for DSP, but may qualify under an International Agreement, Do not refer for a JCA. Re-categorise the DSP claim to a Centrelink International Services new claim work item, complete any supporting work items and make sure the claim is not on hold. See Residence assessment for customers claiming DSP for details of new claim work item
• If the customer is an Australian resident with less than 10 years Australian residence and no Qualifying residence exemption (QRE), an assessment of where the customer’s CITW occurred is required as part of the JCA. Ensure this is correctly answered when completing the JCA Referral Workflow in Process Direct

Make sure all medical and other relevant information has been scanned and added to the electronic MIFE (eMIFE).

To view eMIFE information:

• select Documents icon

If documents are scanned incorrectly and need to be separated or reclassified:

• to update the Document Details (reclassify) – see Moving and/or updating Centrelink digital images via Document Tools
• to separate (split) documents for Service Officers with processing delegation – see Requesting a document rescan, retrieval or location

Has all available medical evidence been scanned correctly?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 5

A JCA referral must not be made until all available medical information and the MAT report/SA479 has been scanned and attached to the eMIFE.

See Streaming a new Claim for Disability Support Pension (DSP).

Service Officer must check the claim details and the customer’s record to ensure all contact details are correct. This includes checking the customer's interpreter requirements are correctly recorded and their Nominee details (if appropriate).

If there are changes to the customer's contact details, these must be updated manually within the DSP new claim activity. See Step 5 in the Updating change of address details Table for assistance with manual coding of the following:

• Address (AD)
• Accommodation details (AC)
• Phone (!TCD)
• Email address (EMA)
• Other Contact Details (OCD) - this field must have confirmed data otherwise the JCA referral request will require rework.

Note: Manual coding involves updating any changes to contact details within the DSP NCL activity to ensure this information is updated via a SAD (REA) activity – See Step 5 in the Updating change of address details Table.

An ACS update is not required where there has been no change of address and/or accommodation details. Where rent has not been verified in the last 12 months, this can be updated, as required, when the claim is finalised.

Note: where Accommodation (ACS) is updated with Rent Verification: code 'NCL' within the DSP claim and updated via a SAD (REA) activity, this automatically reverts to Rent Verification code 'COA' and cannot be changed back to NCL. Where this occurs, record this in the DSP Claim Progress DOC on DL/Notes.

Check the following on the customer’s record:

• the XRN field in the header, and
• for JSR/ACT on Benefit Status line

Is the customer’s Job Seeker Registration active (JSR/ACT)?

• Yes, go to Step 8
• No,
• Make sure customer data (specifically OCD, CRES, RSLEG and RSIMME) is coded or has been updated within a SAD (REA) activity - when the customer data is coded and confirmed, Process Direct attempts to complete the registration when a JCA referral is created
• Go to Step 8

An ESAt/JCA report should automatically finalise 28 days after acceptance. During this time a new JCA referral for a DSP claim cannot be actioned, unless the ESAt/JCA report is finalised early – this is called an ‘early finalisation’.

Any previous JCA or Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) referrals must have a status of Finalised or Unable To Complete before a new JCA referral can be recorded.

Check if the previous ESAt/JCA report has been accepted

An ESAt/JCA will not show a status of ‘accepted’.

Accepted ESAt/JCA reports retain the status of Submitted until the system runs the finalisation process and the status changes to Finalised.

There will be no NSS/JCA activity on the Activity List (AL) screen if the report has been accepted. To check if a report has been accepted:

Process Direct

Check if report has been accepted

• Type MCSS in the Super Key field and enter
• On the Medical Assessment table, locate the ESA or JCA under the Channel Code column
• Scroll across to the Acceptance Date column

Check if report has a Finalised status

The status can be found on the ESAt/JCA View Referral screen which is accessed via the following:

• key ‘RRSUM’ in the Super Key field, select Enter
• Select > DSP Claim Summary > JCA/ESAt, or
• Select > Participation Summary > Activity type/Non-applied exemptions > Referral Summary

Where the previous ESAt/JCA report has a status of Unable to Complete

No further action is required on the previous ESAt/JCA report, a new JCA Referral request can be actioned – go to Step 9.

Where the previous ESAt/JCA report has not been accepted

Where an ESAt has been attended, and not yet submitted or DSP Appeal JCA is in progress, refer to Streaming a new claim for Disability Support Pension (DSP) for action required.

Where neither of the above is applicable to the previous unaccepted ESAt/JCA report, refer to:

• Checking and actioning Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) reports - for an unaccepted ESAt Report
• Checking and actioning a Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) report - for an unaccepted JCA Report

Where the previous ESAt/JCA report has been accepted but the status is not showing as Finalised

The relevant access for a Service Officer to action an ‘early finalisation’ is detailed at Step 2 in the Process tab of Request to finalise an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) or Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) report to create a new JCA referral.

To request (manual) early finalisation of the JCA/ESAt report:

Service Officers with the relevant access can -

• Go to the Transaction Summary (TS) screen
• Select > DSP Claim Summary
• Select JCA/ESAt icon to view previous reports
• Identify report with status of Accepted and use Reference ID hyperlink to enter the referral
• Select Request Finalisation

Service Officer does not have the relevant access -

• Staff without relevant access must refer to a Service Support Officer (SSO) via the Direct Referral to SSO web form to request an ‘early finalise’ action of the ESAt or JCA. See Resources in Request to finalise an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) or Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) report to create a new JCA referral.

Once all previous ESAt/JCA reports have a Finalised or Unable to Complete status, check if new medical evidence has been lodged.

Has new medical evidence been lodged?

• Yes, go to Step 9
• No, see Step 1 in Table 2

Is the new medical evidence indicating potential manifest medical eligibility?

• Yes, annotate the DSP Claim Progress DOC with 'Medical evidence lodged containing new information. Assessment by MAT required'. Create a MAT referral as per the below:
• Go to the TS screen
• Select > Referral
• Referral Type: Medical Assessment Team Referral
• Referral Reason: Query MAT - New evidence or Trm Ill - SA494/SA495/Other (if SA495 or other evidence indicating terminal illness is lodged). If Trm Ill - SA494/SA495/Other MAT referral is used, add additional text to referral that MAT Recommendation dated DD/MM/YYYY requires review as new medical evidence has been lodged
• Select Finish
• The claim status automatically sets to On Hold for reason Awaiting MAT recommendation
• Procedure ends here
• No, see Step 1 in Table 2

Service Officers need the following information to insert/answer the question within the JCA Referral Workflow in Process Direct.

Ensure the correct DSP Claim Assessment Date (PNA date) is entered so the correct version of the Impairment Tables is used. See Impairment Tables - start date scenarios.

Question ‘Has the customer resided in Australia for 10 years or do they have a QRE’?

Refer to the Disability Support Pension Residency Screens Checklist (on Resources page of Streaming a new claim for Disability Support Pension (DSP)) and Residence assessment for customers claiming Disability Support Pension (DSP) to answer this question correctly.

A person has a Qualifying Residence Exemption (QRE) for DSP if the person:

• resides in Australia, and
• is either
• a refugee, or
• a former refugee

To ensure the correct assessment is undertaken and to avoid unnecessary rework:

• If the customer does not have 10 years residence or, does not have a Qualifying Residence Exemption (QRE), select No
• If customer has 10 years residence or, has a Qualifying Residence Exemption (QRE), select Yes

The JCA Referral Workflow for a DSP new claim can only be actioned from within the DSP new claim activity in Process Direct. The DSP claim can be accessed from the Inbox or the Transactions tab via Customer Summary.

Note: the JCA Referral Workflow must not be actioned as part of a Selective Activity Data (SAD)/REA activity. Service Officers must ensure the SAD activity is completed. Only access Referral from More Options from TS within the DSP NCL activity, not the SAD activity.

Service Officers must enter the correct details into the JCA Referral Workflow in Process Direct, referencing the MAT report/SA479.

From TS within the DSP NCL activity, select > Referral

• Referral Type: select Job Capacity Assessment
• Update the Referral Detail:
• Referral Reason: DSP New Claim
• Insert date of claim – date on PNA
• Assessment Method: Face to Face, File, Phone assessment
• 10 year residency or Qualifying Residence Exemption (QRE) assessment: Yes/No
• ESAT/JCA Finalised Status: Yes, No, Not Applicable
• Applicable Discipline: Physical / Non Physical
• Specialist Referral Required: Yes/No
• Add any additional information or special needs in the dialogue boxes if required. For example, interpreter required, potential violent behaviour, gender preference of JCA Assessor
• Select Finish
• The claim status will be set to On Hold for reason Awaiting JCA recommendation
• Annotate the DSP Claim Progress DOC to advise claim has been referred for a JCA

If incorrect details are entered in the JCA referral, go to Step 3.

If staff immediately identify they have entered incorrect details in the JCA Referral:

• do not annotate the JCA Referral DOC with the correct details
• check the JCA Referral DOC in Process Direct to see if the JCA has been booked

• apply Hold to User (HTU) to the DSP Claim
• use the Status icon to manually Change Status of the DSP claim to On Hold for reason Referred to JCA
• annotate the DSP Claim Progress DOC to advise JCA Referral was incorrect
• email the Assessment Services National Administration Team to advise the JCA Referral DOC contained incorrect information
• provide the correct details and request the JCA is:
• finalised as Unable to Complete (UTC), and
• rebooked with the correct information
• end HTU when the JCA is re-booked

• cancel the JCA Referral in Process Direct by going to the Transactions tab in Process Direct and select the Job Capacity Assessment - Initial Submission transaction > Confirm referral completion
• create a new JCA Referral, with the correct information

If the JCA referral is:

• for a Disability Support Pension (DSP) new claim, go to Step 2
• part of a formal review or Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) review, see Reviews and appeals for DSP rejection or cancellation decisions. Procedure ends here
• for a Centrelink International Services (CIS) customer claiming a foreign pension, see Foreign pension medical assessments. Procedure ends here
• for ‘no future work capacity’ portability assessments, see Assessment for DSP customers going overseas under the no future work capacity provisions. Note: this is a CIS only referral. Procedure ends here
• for a possible new claim or request for an explanation, check the Document List (DL) screen for a DOC advising an explanation is pending. Referral for a JCA related to an explanation will be actioned by a Subject Matter Expert (SME)
• for Supported Wage System (SWS) assessment requests received from Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, see Supported Wage System (SWS) medical assessment process. Procedure ends here

Check Document Tools for the Disability Support Pension Medical Eligibility Assessment Recommendation (SA479) and/or a DOC with a subject line of 'MAT DSP recommendation'.

Confirm the recommendation supports the completion of a JCA referral to determine medical eligibility.

Note: a recommendation template is not completed in all circumstances. For example, where no medical evidence is lodged with the claim, the Assessor will complete a Fast Note and not upload a recommendation template. See Streaming a new claim for Disability Support Pension (DSP).

If the Assessor has not completed MAT report/SA479 and one is required:

• Create an open work item using
• Fast Note - select Auto text, use Disabilities > Claims > DSP MAT Recommendation Query
• Select Option 4: DSP New Claim lodged, No MAT assessment Completed within the text (for example, if DSP recommendation DOC is present on Document List (DL)but MAT report/SA479 has not been uploaded to the record). Manually add this information into the Fast Note
• Manually hold the DSP new claim activity for 42 days
• Procedure ends until the assessment has been completed and a MAT report/SA479 is available. See Streaming a new claim for DSP

Before requesting a JCA Referral for a DSP New claim:

• Check if the customer is clearly ineligible on non-medical criteria. A full assessment of non-medical eligibility is not required prior to JCA referral, but if it is clear the customer is ineligible for DSP, for example, customer is over Age Pension age, Income & Assets are over threshold or customer has a Compensation Preclusion Period which does not end within 13 weeks, do not refer for a JCA
  Note: the MAT Recommendation DOC may indicate ‘Assess non-medical eligibility before referring for a JCA’, this note can be disregarded. For more information see Rejecting a new claim for DSP.
• If the customer is in receipt of JSP or YAL-JSK, apply the Claiming DSP exemption on Activity & Exemption (AEX), see Jobseeker Payment (JSP) and Youth Allowance (YA) (Provisional)
• Check the DSP claim start date (PNA) is correct and does not require updating due to backdating or early claim provisions. See Streaming a new claim for DSP for more information
• Check the customer’s residence status. See Residence assessment for customers claiming DSP:
• If the customer is a non-protected Special Category Visa (SCV) holder, the customer does not satisfy the residence for DSP, but may qualify under an International Agreement, Do not refer for a JCA. Re-categorise the DSP claim to a Centrelink International Services new claim work item, complete any supporting work items and make sure the claim is not on hold. See Residence assessment for customers claiming DSP for details of new claim work item
• If the customer is an Australian resident with less than 10 years Australian residence and no Qualifying residence exemption (QRE), an assessment of where the customer’s CITW occurred is required as part of the JCA. Ensure this is correctly answered in the JCA referral

Make sure all medical and other relevant information has been scanned and added to the electronic MIFE (eMIFE). Reclassify if scanned incorrectly.

To view eMIFE information, select Document Tools under Quick Links in Customer First.

If documents are scanned incorrectly and need to be separated or reclassified:

• to update the Document Details (reclassify) – refer to Moving and/or updating Centrelink digital images via Document Tools
• to separate (split) documents for Service Officers with processing delegation – refer to Requesting a document rescan, retrieval or location

Has all available medical evidence been scanned?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 5

A JCA referral must not be made until all available medical information and the MAT report/SA479 has been scanned and attached to the eMIFE.

If the referral relates to a Disability Support Pension (DSP) new claim, see Streaming a new Claim for DSP.

Service Officer must check the claim details and the customer’s record to ensure all contact details are correct. This includes checking the customer's interpreter requirements are correctly recorded and the Nominee (if applicable).

If there are changes to the customer's contact details, these must be updated prior to the JCA Referral request. See Step 5 in the Updating change of address details table for assistance with the following:

• Address (AD)
• Accommodation details (AC)
• Phone (!TCD)
• Email address (EMA)
• Other Contact Details (OCD) - this field must have confirmed data otherwise the JCA referral request will require rework

For DSP claims, an ADS/ACS update is not required where there has been no change of address and/or accommodation details. Where rent has not been verified in the last 12 months, this can be updated, as required, when the claim is finalised.

Where the change in contact details is advised in a DSP claim, complete the updates within the claim activity and finalise via Selective Application of Data (SAD).

Where changes are updated by the Change in Contact Details Workflow, document as per the requirements.

Check the Job Seeker Registration screen.

Does the customer have an active jobseeker registration?

• Yes, go to Step 8
• No,
• Make sure customer data (specifically OCD, CRES, RSLEG and RSIMME) is coded or updated
• Register the customer as Job Seeker Registration (JSRO), see Eligibility and Registration as a JobSeeker Registration Only (JSRO)/No Remote Referral Required (NRRR) jobseeker
• Go to Step 8

An ESAt/JCA report should automatically finalise 28 days after acceptance. During this time a new JCA referral for a DSP claim cannot be actioned, unless the ESAt/JCA report is finalised early – this action is referred to as an ‘early finalisation’.

Any previous JCA or Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) referrals must have a status of Finalised or Unable To Complete before a new JCA referral can be recorded.

Check if the previous ESAt/JCA report has been accepted

An ESAt/JCA will not show a status of ‘accepted’.

Accepted ESAt/JCA reports retain the status of Submitted until the system runs the finalisation process and the status changes to Finalised.

There will be no NSS/JCA activity on the Activity List (AL) screen if the report has been accepted. To check if a report has been accepted:

Customer First

Check if the report has been accepted

• Type MCSS in the Next: field and enter
• On the Medical Conditions Summary Screen (MCSS), locate the ESA or JCA under the Channel column
• Click on the Event Date hyperlink relevant to the ESA/JCA Channel line
• On the Medical Conditions Details (MC) screen under the Assigning Professional Details section on the right is an Acceptance Date: field

Check if report has a Finalised status

The status can be found on the ESAt/JCA View Referral screen which is accessed via the following in Customer First:

• using the Employment Services or JCA Referral Information workflow under Referrals, or
• type RRSUM in the Next: field and enter
• Look under the Programme column for Job Capacity Assessment or Employment Services Assessment
• Event column will show the status

Where the previous ESAt/JCA report has a status of Unable to Complete

No further action is required on the previous ESAt/JCA report, a new JCA Referral request can be actioned – go to Step 9.

Where the previous ESAt/JCA report has not been accepted

Where an ESAt has been attended, and not yet submitted or DSP Appeal JCA is in progress, refer to Streaming a new claim for Disability Support Pension (DSP) for action required.

Where neither of the above is applicable to the previous unaccepted ESAt/JCA report, see:

• Checking and actioning Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) reports - for an unaccepted ESAt Report
• Checking and actioning a Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) report - for an unaccepted JCA Report

Where the previous ESAt/JCA report has been accepted but the status is not showing as Finalised

The relevant Service Officer access to action an ‘early finalisation’ is detailed at Step 2 in the Process tab of Request to finalise an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) or Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) report to create a new JCA referral.

Service Officer with the relevant access, select:

• ESAt/JCA activity via the Referral Summary in Customer First.
• View Report
• Request Finalisation button

Service Officer does not have the relevant access

Staff without relevant access must refer to an Service Support Officer (SSO) via the Direct Referral to SSO web form to request an ‘early finalise’ action of the ESAt or JCA. See Resources in Request to finalise an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) or Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) report to create a new JCA referral.

Once all previous ESAt/JCA reports have a Finalised or Unable to Complete status, check if new medical evidence has been lodged.

Has new medical evidence been lodged?

• Yes, and the new medical evidence:
• does indicate potential manifest eligibility, go to Step 9
• does not indicate potential manifest eligibility, see Step 1 in Table 2
• No, see Step 1 in Table 2

Annotate the DSP claim progress DOC with 'Medical evidence lodged containing new information. Assessment by MAT required'.

Create a MAT referral:

• Return to the Activity List (AL) screen
• Create a Fast Note
• select Auto text, use Disabilities > Claims > Priority- Possible Terminal lodged
• select Confirm
• This will create a Fast Note work item. It will show as the highest work priority for the Assessment Services Assessor
• Procedure ends here

Service Officers need the following information to insert/answer the questions within the JCA Referral request.

Ensure the correct DSP Claim Assessment Date (PNA date) is entered so the correct version of the Impairment Tables is used. See Impairment Tables - start date scenarios.

Question ‘Has the customer resided in Australia for 10 years or do they have a QRE’

Refer to the Disability Support Pension Residency Screens Checklist (on Resources page of Streaming a new claim for Disability Support Pension (DSP)) and Residence assessment for customers claiming Disability Support Pension (DSP) to answer this question correctly.

A person has a Qualifying Residence Exemption (QRE) for DSP if the person:

• resides in Australia, and
• is either
• a refugee, or
• a former refugee.

To ensure the correct assessment is undertaken and to avoid unnecessary rework:

• If the customer does not have 10 years residence or, does not have a Qualifying Residence Exemption (QRE), select No
• If customer has 10 years residence or, has a Qualifying Residence Exemption (QRE), select Yes

Run the relevant Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Disabilities > Claims > select one of the following templates(based on the mode of the JCA recommendation by the MAT):

• JCA referral required post MAT - F2F
• JCA referral required post MAT - File assessment
• JCA referral required post MAT - Phone assessment

Make sure all details in the Fast Note are completed correctly:

• Date of claim: enter DSP claim start date/PNA date
• Residency: review customer details and advise if they meet 10 years residency or have a Qualifying Residence Exemption (QRE) (this ensures the assessor determines where the Continuing Inability to Work (CITW) occurred). Make sure this field contains one word: Yes or No
• Discipline: review and advise if the primary medical condition, as outlined in the MAT report/SA479 is Physical or Non-Physical in nature. Make sure this field contains one word: Physical or Non-Physical
• Specialist Referral/Assessment required: Yes/No (if Yes, include the type of specialist assessment required)
• Special Needs: if applicable
• Add any additional information or special needs in the dialogue boxes if required. For example, interpreter required, potential violent behaviour, gender preference of JCA Assessor

Note: the Fast Note will stream the referral directly to the JCA Admin Team, bypassing the Assessment Services Triage Team. This process will not happen immediately and may take several hours to move from the Service Officer's region code to the JCA Admin Team. Make sure only these Fast Notes are used.

If incorrect details have been entered in the JCA referral Fast Note check the Referral Summary (RRSUM) to see if JCA has been booked.

Check the Referral Summary (RRSUM) to see is JCA has been booked

Where the JCA is not booked:

• annotate the Fast Note to advise the information is incorrect and set as completed
• create a new JCA referral Fast Note with the correct information.

Where the JCA has already been booked:

• apply Hold to User (HTU) to the DSP Claim
• stream the claim and hold for reason JCA
• annotate the DSP Claim Progress DOC to advise JCA Referral was incorrect
• email the Assessment Services National Administration Team to advise the JCA Referral DOC contained incorrect information
• provide the correct details and request the JCA is:
• finalised as Unable to Complete (UTC), and
• rebooked with the correct information
• end HTU when the JCA is re-booked